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every child deserves a @ShotAtLife with the UN Foundation’s blog relay

August 15, 2012

This post is inspired by Shot@Life, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation that educates, connects and empowers the championing of vaccines as one of the most cost-effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries.

In 2006 I laid on the floor of my bedroom and cried in the unbearable fear of knowing my child had cancer. I sobbed for her body and I wept for my family. I was devastated to hear these words used in association with my baby. I cries for a thousand reasons.

I never cried because my child wouldn’t get medicine.

It took her hair. It made her vomit. It saved her life.

Three years out of chemotherapy, starting third grade, that same child has been blessed by the healing that medicine gave her.

What if I’d cried because I’d know there was no medicine option?

Do you even realize that pneumonia and diarrhea are the two biggest killers of children under five. These two illnesses make up 1/3 of of childhood deaths worldwide.

$20 is is a night at the movies with popcorn. $20 is a novel and cup of coffee at your favorite bookstore.

$20 is what it costs for one child to receive life-saving vaccines: measles, pneumonia, diarrhea and polio; preventable diseases like these take the life of a child every 20 seconds.

You leave a comment = $20 is donated to vaccinate a child

During Shot@Life’s Blogust: Blog Relay for Good, 31 bloggers, one each day in August, are writing about people from our communities who have inspired us. Every comment on this post and the 30 other posts will be matched with a $20 donation (up to a maximum of $200,000). That’s 10,000 comments. And 10,000 children. $20 is what it costs to give one child four life-saving vaccines to help protect them against measles, pneumonia, diarrhea and polio. A child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine preventable disease. We can help stop this.

I’m supposed to talk about a person who inspired me through comments. It’s impossible to choose just one. The friends and family who have left comments during Peyton’s cancer, then through my strokes and are following the recovery are my lifeline. Their words kept me sane some days.

Some days those words were the only positives I heard. They were the support Peter needed.

Maybe it’s a cheat but it’s true. EVERY COMMENT has been important.

I don’t have a comment-heavy blog but I’m asking readers to stop lurking and give these children the vaccines they so badly need. You can give by leaving your comment and spreading the word.

In this blog relay, I took the baton from Elena Sonnino who posted on Tuesday and I will pass it on to Liz Thompson who will post on Thursday. Both lovely ladies have so much heart for this mission and with their help and your comment we’re going to make that goal.

Here goes comment #2 for me because I just love this idea so very much!
I recently got back from a wonderful weekend in Ottawa Canada with an organisation that is near and dear to my heart. World University Service of Canada (WUSC) works to bring students from refugee camps in Africa and Asia to study in Canadian universities and colleges. I told everyone about Blogust and what a great fundraising initiative it is. What I wouldn’t give to find a generous donor to contribute to WUSC’s Student Refugee Program (SRP) in the same way! I am currently fundraising in my own small way for the SRP by challenging myself to run a half marathon in December and blogging about it here:http://21kforchange.blogspot.c…
Communities, be it online or otherwise, coming together for a cause is just so incredibly inspiring to me!
Thank you, Anissa, for taking part!Brandy Robertson´s last post…Inspirational Runners – Tahmina Kohistani Edition

To imagine any parent receiving that kind of news is heartbreaking and then to add to that news the fact that no hope could exist because they could not afford medicine or because a crucial vaccine had been missed, well that is tragic. Thank you for this post.thedoseofreality´s last post…WOULD I PAY MONEY FOR THIS: In the “Zone” + GIVEAWAY

Vaccinations are something we take for granted here. Parents in countries that don’t have vaccines, take diseases for granted. We need to change that. No parent should have a child get sick from a preventable disease. EVER. My hat is off to Shot@Life.One Crazy Momma´s last post…Animals of Busch Gardens

This is a fantastic initiative, raising awareness, raising funds and making it easy for us mouse-potatoes to get involved and help out.
It should also encourage us to think – and discuss – the necessary education campaigns that should accompany such immunisation drives. There is still a lot of ignorance to be overcome, even in developed countries such as the USA, and unfortunately, we are now also dealing with the backlash of the covert operations in Pakistan that took place under the guise of vaccination campaigns.
Lots of work to do, but, as the famous proverb says, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
Thank you for participating!

I’m sorry I took so long to comment. Such a wonderful post and cause. You left a comment for me once, back after BlogHer when I picked up cards of people who couldn’t make it. Don’t blog much now, but you continue to inspire, and amuse, and titlalate with your eye candy

I’m typically a lurker, but had to come out of the woodwork for this. I don’t have kids yet, but can’t imagine something like this happening to my nieces or nephews and having the biggest, most crippling fear come from not being able to obtain their medicine. Every child deserves their shot at life. Thank you for posting this.

Thank you for sharing this moving post Anissa and for supporting this great cause. Thanks also to shot@life for giving these children a fighting chance through vaccination!Jami Eidsvold´s last post…Working from “Home”

What a beautiful post, Anissa. Thank you for sharing and for being inspired, as you inspire so many. Yes, I know, it’s the forbidden word, but it’s got to be allowed, for at least this one post, right?

I think this is an incredible Blogust event, and I’m happy to do my share by commenting on every single post out there (I’m working backwards today!) in support.

Sending you continued love. xox * nycpizzagirl (we never did have pizza together! Boo!)Andrea´s last post…Go find me …

What a great cause- I’ll be sharing this with my community service fraternity, maybe we could do something with them at some point! Vaccines are so important!Nikki´s last post…On Windshield Washer Fluid…

In spite of all the controversy I am, and will continue to be, pro-vaccine. Unfortunately the hysteria and misinformation surrounding its use has diminished its importance and in some cases endangered lives.

Thank you for sharing your story, Anissa. And thank you to shot @ life for their generosity in this program.

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About Anissa

Erma Bombeck said something that pretty much defines my approach to life....
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say, "I used everything you gave me." If you switch the word TALENT for LOVE or LAUGHTER or HAPPINESS....it still stands.